Tap.
Draw!
Whether his prayers to gods and Buddhas had any effect or not, there was nothing more Tachibana Kenji could do.
He had already done everything he could; what remained was entirely in the hands of fate.
With Lan cradled in his arms, Tachibana Kenji silently watched the constantly flashing lights across the Gacha interface.
A few moments later, the glowing spheres suddenly shrank inward before exploding outward in another brilliant burst.
“Not bad, not bad.
There’s no Gold like last time, but it looks like I got more than one Purple.” Tachibana Kenji had actually wondered whether the Gold-rarity Summoning Technique he received last time had been some kind of beginner’s ten-pull SSR bonus.
So he hadn’t held particularly high expectations this time.
Getting multiple Purple-rarity items was already an incredible haul as far as he was concerned.
Ten rewards appeared in a row on the panel: [Ability: Torrent] (Purple-rarity item: When injured, the power of Water-type attacks increases.
The more severe the injury, the greater the increase, up to a maximum of 100% increased Water-type attack power.) [TM: Water Release × Aqua Ring] (Purple-rarity item: A Water Release ninjutsu.
By forming hand seals, the user creates a ring of water with healing properties that surrounds a target and heals its injuries to a certain extent.
When used in an environment with abundant water, the technique consumes less chakra.) [Rare Candy] (Purple-rarity item: A candy filled with energy.
After being consumed, it improves the user’s overall attributes, including strength, physical constitution, chakra reserves, and more.) [Super Potion] (Blue-rarity item: Can be taken internally or applied externally.
Moderately restores the user’s injuries.) The remaining White-rarity items were [Magikarp Scale], [Green Pokéblock], [Moomoo Milk], [Cheri Berry], [Nugget], and [Salt].
Tachibana Kenji looked at the panel, feeling slightly excited.
There might not have been a Gold-rarity reward, but the prizes this time were clearly far more practical.
Without giving it much thought, he began retrieving the rewards from the panel.
The very first item, [Ability: Torrent], caught him completely off guard.
After being retrieved, the Ability appeared as a ball of blue light.
Before Tachibana Kenji could examine it closely, it shot into his body and merged with him.
He carefully sensed the changes within himself and found that he seemed to have gained a deeper understanding of Water Release’s nature transformation.
However, perhaps because he wasn’t injured, the change wasn’t particularly obvious.
“So…
I have the Torrent Ability now?” Tachibana Kenji gave Lan, who was still staring blankly in his arms, a strange look.
He wasn’t an expert on Pokémon, but Torrent was the signature Ability of Water-type starter Pokémon throughout the generations.
There was no way he wouldn’t recognize it.
Ironically, Lan—the little frog at his side—was also a classic Water-type starter Pokémon.
Yet after training and testing together for so many days, Tachibana Kenji suspected that Lan’s Ability was actually the Hidden Ability Protean.
As for [Ability: Torrent], its effect was to increase the power of Water-type attacks.
The problem was that Tachibana Kenji didn’t even know a single Water Release technique yet, let alone one capable of inflicting meaningful Water-type damage.
Besides, reality wasn’t a game.
Being injured would affect his ability to fight.
Was he supposed to cast ninjutsu while lying on the ground coughing up blood?
The original owner’s father had been a chūnin and should have known several Water Release techniques.
His mother had worked at Kirigakure Hospital and, while she hadn’t been an official shinobi, had mastered a few basic medical ninjutsu.
Unfortunately, both of them had died in battle several years ago.
Apart from the house and the family’s pension, all they had left behind were three ninjutsu scrolls: [Water Clone Technique], [Hidden Mist Technique], and [Healing Technique]—a C-rank technique and two D-rank techniques.
Tachibana Kenji had only recently begun studying the three techniques on his own.
At present, the only techniques he had actually mastered were the basic Three Body Techniques taught at the Ninja Academy.
And among those three inherited techniques, perhaps only the Water Clone Technique could be said to possess even a little Water-type offensive potential.
“Getting injured to increase the attack power of my Water Clone…
that’s just stupid.” Still, since the Ability had directly fused into his body, Tachibana Kenji had a rough idea of what to expect from the remaining rewards.
Sure enough, when he retrieved [TM: Water Release × Aqua Ring] from the panel, what should have been a disc-shaped Technical Machine had somehow turned into a light-blue scroll about the length of his forearm.
The moment Tachibana Kenji held the scroll in his hands, knowledge flooded into his mind—the hand seals, casting techniques, and underlying principles of Water Release: Aqua Ring.
At the same time, he learned that what he currently possessed was only the technique’s basic application.
If he obtained the same technique again in the future, its effects could be enhanced.
Of course, diligent practice and increased strength could also improve the ninjutsu’s power.
The two methods could stack.
[Ding!
You have mastered a Water Release ninjutsu.
Achievement unlocked: “Ptooey!
Ptooey!
Ptooey!”] [Ding!
You have mastered Water nature transformation and a Water Release ninjutsu.
The Water-type Rate-Up Banner has been unlocked.] The sudden system notifications interrupted Tachibana Kenji’s thoughts.
“What the hell is with that Achievement?
I learned Aqua Ring!
So spitting counts as Water Release too?
And does that mean if I’m seriously injured, my Torrent Ability will make my spit hurt more?!” Tachibana Kenji covered his face in exasperation.
But I actually unlocked a new banner.
So the condition for unlocking new banners is mastering a technique of the corresponding type?
He wasn’t entirely certain.
The original owner already knew the non-elemental Three Body Techniques, which is why I started with the Normal-type Rate-Up Banner.
Looking at the Gacha screen, there were still three banners.
However, the Beginner Banner had disappeared after he used all twenty of its discounted draws.
The three remaining banners were now the Normal-type Rate-Up Banner, the Water-type Rate-Up Banner, and the [???
Banner].
Pokémon have far more types than shinobi have chakra natures.
And where exactly am I supposed to learn ninjutsu corresponding to Dragon, Psychic, or Dark types?
Besides, the Ninja Academy teaches basic hand-to-hand combat, and Kirigakure even has dedicated swordsmanship classes because of its traditions.
So why hasn’t the Fighting-type banner unlocked?
Clearly, there was still much about the system that needed to be investigated.
“Forget it.
With my current strength and the number of Coins I have, there’s no point worrying about that for now.” Tachibana Kenji gave up on further investigating the system and tried handing the newly acquired scroll to Lan.
However, Lan showed no signs of instantly learning the Water Release technique.
Is it a one-time effect?
Or can only I receive the knowledge directly from the system?
When he opened the newly drawn ninjutsu scroll, he discovered that it genuinely contained written instructions, detailing the casting method and principles behind the technique.
“In that case, other people might be able to learn this ninjutsu through training too.
That’s actually good news.” Tachibana Kenji then looked at the scroll spread across the floor and twitched slightly.
“I haven’t played that many Pokémon games, but what the hell is this?
A Technical Machine turning from a disc into a scroll?
This localization is really thorough.” “If Abilities and moves can both be used by me…” With the first two rewards as examples, Tachibana Kenji reopened the reward interface.
Looking at the [Rare Candy] in his hand, he didn’t think too deeply about it before casually tossing it into his mouth.
“Just as I thought!” The [Rare Candy] dissolved in his mouth.
Tachibana Kenji could clearly feel his maximum chakra reserves slowly increasing.
The improvement to his physical abilities was less noticeable, but since the system description specifically mentioned it, they must have improved as well.
“There aren’t any numbers to make it obvious, but I probably just gained something equivalent to a level.” Tachibana Kenji lightly clenched his fist.
“Croak?
(σ｀д′)σ” Lan stared at the shameless human who had just eaten a candy normally used to level up Pokémon, its enormous eyes filled with confusion.
“Haha, sorry, sorry.
I really need to get stronger right now.
When we have more candies in the future, I’ll let you try one too.” After patting Lan on the head to reassure the little frog, Tachibana Kenji retrieved the rest of his rewards.
He first gave the [Cheri Berry] and [Green Pokéblock] to Lan.
“Don’t be mad.
Have a Pokéblock and a Berry first.” Since the White-rarity items didn’t come with system descriptions, Tachibana Kenji had no idea what their exact effects were.
Just as he had done with the Berries from his previous draw, he gave them to Lan.
Lan looked somewhat reluctant to eat the [Green Pokéblock], but after scrunching up its little face, it swallowed the whole thing in one gulp.
Tachibana Kenji vaguely remembered that Green Pokéblocks were bitter.
Still, Pokéblocks generally enhanced some aspect of a Pokémon’s condition, so there shouldn’t be any problem with eating one.
Pokémon had excellent instincts when it came to food.
They didn’t choose what to eat based solely on taste.
The [Super Potion] wasn’t bad either.
Tachibana Kenji had used the Potion from his previous draw to test its effects.
This time, he planned to keep the Super Potion and see whether he could figure out its formula.
After all, it had already been localized into a medicinal ointment.
Perhaps reproducing it wouldn’t be impossible.
Tachibana Kenji was also very pleased to have drawn a [Nugget] among the miscellaneous White-rarity items.
It was a real, solid piece of gold roughly the size of an ordinary marble, and he planned to find an opportunity to sell it.
The original owner’s parents had died in battle, so he received a regular pension.
Moreover, perhaps because of the Bloody Mist’s harsh policies, Kirigakure actually placed considerable importance on protecting war orphans and ensuring that pensions were distributed.
Still, his parents had only been a chūnin and a medical worker.
His current funds were enough to maintain his daily life and basic training, but little else.
As for the remaining miscellaneous items, Tachibana Kenji planned to put them away for now.
Perhaps he would eventually discover other uses for them.
“This ten-pull was a huge win.
The Torrent Ability isn’t very useful for now since I haven’t mastered an offensive Water Release technique, but Water Release: Aqua Ring might be a different story.
If other people can learn it and it’s a healing technique, then I might be able to make other plans for graduating from the Ninja Academy.” Tachibana Kenji looked down at the little frog busily helping him put everything away.
“I’ve got Abilities and moves now, and even Rare Candy works on me.” “So…
which one of us is actually the Pokémon here?!”